BRITS have been warned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office against all but essential travel in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.
But with no end date on these restrictions, it's thrown people's travel plans into chaos.
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Below we round-up what it means for cancelled trips, plus we've got a section at the end for trips still scheduled to take place.
There's no industry-wide scheme been announced for holidaymakers by the government, and the current rules remain in place.
This means refunds will depend on your provider, your insurer, and how you paid for the trip.
A government spokesperson said: “We will continue to engage with the travel sector and consumer advocacy bodies to assess the impact of cancellations made in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.”
It adds that struggling consumers can also contact charity Citizens Advice for free help on 0808 223 1133.
Contact your travel provider first
If your trip has been cancelled by your holiday provider you need to contact them in the first instance – whether that's an airline, a travel agent, a hotel, or a car hire firm.
Whether you're entitled to a refund depends on your contract with the provider, although there are some overarching schemes in place that may offer you a route to some or all of your money back.
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Airlines have to provide refunds for EU bookings
If you booked directly with the airline, under EC 261 rules you're entitled to an alternative flight or a full refund if you were due to be on a flight leaving the UK or a flight returning to the UK with an EU airline.
For other flights it depends on the carrier.
But you won't be able to claim compensation for the cancellation on top as coronavirus is considered to be an "extraordinary circumstance", which airlines don't have to pay out for.
We've asked the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) if there's a timescale on such refunds and we'll update this story as soon as we hear back.
Travel agents should refund you – but expect delays
For those with a package holiday, you should be protected by Package Travel Regulations (PTRs), which again should mean you can claim a refund.
Under the PTRs, if any element of your package holiday or cruise package is cancelled or significantly changed, then you have the right to request a full refund of any payments made towards your holiday – in cash.
Alternatively, you may be covered by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) if you booked via one of its members.
It's also advising customers to talk to their travel company to discuss alternative travel arrangements.
Where no suitable alternative is possible, you should be entitled to a refund.
ABTA says this is normally paid within 14 days but warns that currently this timeframe is "simply impossible for many companies to adhere to" at present.
It says many travel firms are waiting for money back from hotels, airlines and other suppliers and don't have the upfront cash to pay holidaymakers.
You don't have to accept a credit note
We're aware of airlines and other travel providers offering credit notes or vouchers instead of cash refunds for cancelled trips.
You don't have to accept these credit notes or vouchers and can request a cash refund instead.
If you've lost your job or desperately need the cash, it's worth explaining this to the provider.
But ABTA points out that where its members issue credit notes, these can be used to rearrange a holiday at a later date or can be swapped for a cash refund at a later date.
As above, ABTA says issuing a cash refund at present might force a business to go bust.
In the meantime, ABTA says credit notes issued by its members will be protected by ABTA if your original booking had that protection, so you would be reimbursed if the travel company went under in the meantime.
ATOL – the Air Travel Organiser's Licence – should be able to reimburse credit notes for bookings directly from an airline that's gone bust, according to ABTA.
We've asked ATOL to confirm this and we'll update this story as soon as we get a response.
Take your complaint further if your travel provider isn't playing ball
If your travel provider isn't paying up in cash, first submit a formal complaint.
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It might help to do so via a free complaints tool, such as Resolver.
If you have no luck, the next step is to take your gripe to the relevant complaints body.
If your travel provider is a member of ABTA, you can make a complaint to ABTA using its online complaints form.
When it comes to airline complaints, the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has a full list of complaints bodies and the airlines signed up to them on its website – and we've outlined some in the box below.
As a last resort, you can ask the CAA to intervene – it has a full breakdown of how to send a complaint.
Not all airlines are signed up to an ADR body. If your airline isn't, you can complain directly to the CAA.
It's worth checking if hotel or car hire firms are signed up to any trade bodies you can approach.
As a last resort you can take the company to the small claims court – but charity Citizens Advice warns this can be expensive and take a long time.
Other ways to claim a refund
Claim on your insurance
You might be covered for trip cancellation by your travel insurance, so it's worth checking.
Just be aware that if you're able to submit a claim, you'll likely pay a fee known as an "excess" to get a refund.
Policies purchased after coronavirus hit the UK are unlikely to cover coronavirus-related cancellations.
Claim from your credit card provider
Credit card payments between £100 and £30,000 are covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Rights Act.
This means where you don't get the service you paid for, your credit card provider is jointly liable and you can reclaim costs from them.
To start a claim, you need to contact your credit card provider directly – Which?.
Claim from your debit card provider
For flights and hotels booked by debit card you may be able to claim a refund via the Chargeback scheme.
This also applies to credit card bookings of under £100.
As with Section 75, chargeback can be used to reclaim cash for goods and services you didn't receive.
But unlike Section 75, it's not a legal requirement so there's no guarantee you'll get your money back.
To start a chargeback claim, you need to contact your card provider within 120 days of the transaction.
It's a waiting game for bookings that haven't been cancelled
Where the FCO advises against travel most providers and insurers will pay refunds.
The CAA says under the PTRs, for example, package holiday customers are entitled to a full refund or alternative booking.
But the reality is that for bookings further ahead, you might find your provider is waiting to see whether the FCO lifts its restrictions so these trips can go ahead.
So you might have to sit tight and wait until nearer the time.
If you're unsure, talk to your travel provider to get the latest advice.
ABTA said: "Travel companies are extremely busy, given the pressures of the current crisis, and will be looking at imminent departures first and deciding how far in advance they will offer alternative arrangements or refunds."
MoneySavingExpert.com also has a helpful guide to what some of the major travel providers have said they'll do.
If your travel provider isn't helping, contact your insurer to see if it will cover you cancelling the trip.
Note that if you've got a pre-existing health condition that could mean you're at a greater risk from coronavirus, you might be able to get a refund from your travel provider or insurer this way too.
To do this, you might need to provide health certificates to make your case stronger.
Just be aware that where possible, most airlines and travel providers are asking customers to only get in contact if their trip is imminent, usually within the next three days, to try and keep call volumes down.
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